Wastewater Analysis shows shocking spike in Ketamine consumption 

Data published on 17th March from samples taken from 16 treatment plants reveals; 

• Ketamine consumption is estimated to have increased by 85% 
• National addiction and recovery charity The Forward Trust say that this shocking trend is to be expected as it comes at a time when;  
• Addiction to ketamine in the UK has more than quadrupled since 2016  
• Ketamine use is estimated to have more than doubled — tripling in those under 25  
• An increase in adults entering treatment with ketamine problems, from 1,551 in 2021-22 to 2,211 in 2022-23.  

According to government statistics, opiate dependency, cannabis or cocaine are currently three of the most common drugs causing people to seek help in Britain – but the huge increase in young adults aged 16-24 taking ketamine is due to its cost and accessibility.  

Mike Trace CEO of the Forward Trust, said: 

‘Ketamine was once seen by many as a “safe” party drug. Sadly, as we know from families such as Barney’s (Taking Action on Addiction case study) we are also seeing an increase in long-term health conditions and fatalities caused by the use of ketamine’.  

‘Ketamine abuse is soaring, with young people all over the UK seeking treatment for addiction and irreparable damage to their bladders – it is also known to cause paranoia, muscle paralysis, and liver damage, alongside many other side effects. 

‘Addiction isn’t a marginalised issue in society. It runs deep and spreads wide. People are living with addiction all around us.  And yet the stigma, misunderstanding and the fear of judgement is holding people back from getting the help they need.   

‘Perceptions of addiction need to change. We need to build compassion and understanding around addiction and support people to ask for help without judgement, discrimination or stigma. 

‘Recovery is possible and with the right support and everyone should have the opportunity to access it before they reach rock bottom.”

Listen to Mike Trace on Times Radio

On 18 March, Mike was invited onto Times Radio to talk about the dangers of ketamine with hosts Kate McCann and Stig Abell.
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Wastewater Analysis Programme 

Data from the Wastewater Analysis Programme is a useful snapshot and confirms what we see from other surveys about trends in drug use – but only tells us part of the story. It is not possible to assign consumption to an individual person, so it is impossible to use wastewater analysis data to determine the number of people consuming a particular substance; and as some substances have medicinal applications (for example, amphetamine and heroin/diamorphine) and therefore wastewater estimates include use for medical purposes.  

The programme does not currently test for cannabis due to complexities of the sampling method – Cannabis is the most widely used drug in England and Wales, with 6.8% of people aged 16 to 59 years reporting use in year ending March 2024.  

Read the report ‘Wastewater analysis: Measuring illicit drug consumption in 2023 and 2024’